Poodle trapped in car's grille survives 11-mile trip

Cats may be known for having nine lives, but a poodle-mix in Massachusetts just proved she has at least two after she was struck by a car and later found stuck in the grille of that vehicle after an 11-mile ride.

William Muggle, a supervisor at the East Providence Animal Control Center, told the Taunton Daily Gazette that the driver of the car was traveling at about 50 mph on Route 44 when a white dog ran into the roadway.

According to the newspaper, Muggle said the driver slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting it, but that the small dog had vanished ahead of the vehicle. After continuing along the road into Rhode Island, the driver was alerted by a fellow motorist that the dog was wedged in his car's front grille.

Authorities said the driver then pulled into the East Providence Police Department where officers and animal control personnel removed the dog. She was transported to an area animal hospital where she was treated for a concussion and possibly a minor rupture of the bladder -- which has since healed.

"We took (the dog) to an emergency clinic, and now she's actually doing fine, crazy enough," Muggle told the Daily Gazette. "She's a good dog."

Muggle said his team has been working to locate the owner of the lucky pooch, but that no one has reported a missing dog that meets her description.